Upside-Down Cranberry-Orange Poppy Seed Cake

This Upside-Down Cranberry-Orange Poppy Seed Cake combines tart cranberries and sweet clementines with a light, fluffy cake studded with poppy seeds. Baked upside-down for a stunning presentation, it’s finished with a touch of whipped cream for a festive and flavorful dessert.

Recipe Information

Total Time:

Yield:

8 servings

Ingredients

3 large eggs

Nonstick cooking spray

4 tablespoons plus ½ cup butter, softened, divided

½ cup plus 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar, divided

2 tablespoons orange preserves

3 or 4 medium clementines, thinly sliced and seeded

1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries

1½ cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons poppyseeds

1 teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon orange zest

½ cup milk

Sweetened whipped cream, for serving

‍

Directions

Separate egg yolks and whites. Allow eggs to stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray bottom and sides of a 9-inch-round baking pan with nonstick spray. Line bottom with parchment paper. Spray paper with nonstick spray and coat with flour; set aside.
In a small saucepan, melt 4 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Add ½ cup sugar and the preserves. Cook over medium-low heat for 2 minutes or until thickened. Pour mixture into prepared baking pan. Arrange clementine slices and cranberries in a single layer on top.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, poppyseeds, baking powder and salt; set aside. In a large mixing bowl, beat remaining ½ cup butter with an electric mixer on medium for 30 seconds. Add 1 cup sugar; beat until light and fluffy. Beat in egg yolks, vanilla and orange zest, scraping sides of bowl. Alternately add flour mixture and milk to butter mixture, beating on low after each addition, just until combined; set aside.
Using thoroughly cleaned beaters, beat egg whites until soft peaks form (tips curl). Add remaining 2 tablespoons sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time. Continue beating until stiff peaks form (tips stand straight). Fold beaten whites into cake batter. Spoon batter over fruit in pan; spread evenly.
Bake about 45 to 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Cool in pan on wire rack for 10 minutes. Using a small sharp knife, loosen cake around edge of pan. Invert cake onto a serving plate. Remove and discard parchment paper. Serve cake warm topped with whipped cream.